Outdoor noise barriers have been erected next to construction sites for reducing construction noise from reaching nearby residential premises. Virtually all noise barriers have a large surface area for blocking or absorbing sound. In the outdoors, the wind load on such noise barrier structures can be very high occasionally, such as when there is a strong gust of wind. To prevent the noise barriers from being blown down, outdoor noise barriers are necessarily strong and heavy structures, constructed to withstand a wind load of 1 to 1.4 kPa in general. A strong concrete foundation is usually required for tall noise barriers of 6 m to 10 m. The erection and mobilization of such heavy noise barriers are energy and labour intensive, and have to be done using cranes and elevated platforms. Dismantling these heavy structures is also energy and labour intensive. Therefore, when a noise barrier is erected, it is typically intended to be a strong structure to remain standing next to the construction site for a significant period of time.
There is a growing demand for construction noise control in urban areas due to increasing public awareness on noise nuisance. However, if the source of noise lasts for only a short period of time or moves every few hours or days, which is typical of construction work on underground utilities beneath road surface, it would not be practical to erect and move such noise barriers along with the source of noise. Moreover, there may be difficulty in obtaining permission to lay a concrete foundation in some places. Construction of a concrete foundation may also not be allowed at day time due to road congestion, and may be allowable only at night time within a few limited hours. Therefore, it is desirable to provide a noise barrier which is relatively easy to erect, mobilize and dismantle, and which may be used as a temporal structure for a short period of time and which may be able to avoid damaging the existing ground to erect the noise barrier.